Shell-fuse.



PATENTED JUNE 18, 1905.

C. P. WATSON.

- SHELL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1904.

. v m "Era IJHARLES i. \VA'ISON, ()l YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

' SHELL-Fuse SPECIFIQATIQiNforming partpf. Letters Patent No.-792,369-,da.ted J ime 13, 1905.

7 Application filedall 'y 5,

To all with n it may coin ng-[1 Be iLkn o wntl at, I Qua news, if; \VA'rso a[ citizen of tiieLUnited States; residing';at York,

in nitbjua't of York and'Stateof'Pennsylvania, have" invented jcertain new and useful -Impr( dcclar the f ollo wmg to eipa'lobjeets are, ii rst, tosiinplify and eheapen the past oi: production of this type of fuse; second, to insure a positive armingof the parts, and third, to render saidparts less;

f liahl e't o strain and injury from sudden shock 'or jai-eith'erjiii handling or firing the shell,

Other objects of the inventionwill become apparent upon a more complete disclosure thereof.

\Vith' these objects in view the invention. consists, essentially, of the novel construction. and peculiar arrangement of the several parts and their general combination, as will be here inafter fully described-,and briefly stated in the claims.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional vieu of my improved fuse; Fig. 2-, an enlarged longitudinal Section of the llitlll meror plunger; Fig". 3, a similar view of the cap-carryingplug; Fig.4, a plan view of the front end of the hammeror plunger; Fig. 5, a similar view of the eap-carrying plug, and Fig. (l a perspective View of one of the wings or jaws and the spring for holding them normally closed} Referring to the several views, the letter It indicates thestock, 1/ the hammer or plunger, and c the cap-carrying plug. The stock is of the usual construction, being provided with the usual flanged head 1/ and scm\\-thre:ulsi and is suitably bored to provide a hammer or plunger chamber or recessfmnl a primingchambcr r/. A portion of the inner face of 1904- Serial No. 187,826.

the recess-wall is screw-tlweaded to receive a V serew-threzuled plugfqwvlnich divides the 'ham- 1.11101. or plungen-chitrhber :f-ronr the priming charnberpas shown-in Fig. 1. The inner or rear face .of the apl ugac is counterbored to form- 5 5 a recess or. ehamberw', and projecting from the 5 transverse MflllOfitl-le recess 1' is a boss or hul) ".lhe:end. of. thetboss-or hub is'provided with ,aadepressionzl,intonwhich-ds seateda: V detonatingeap m and'leading from the eap- 6o is afiring channeLor: holem communicating" with the priming-chamber g.

The front .end-oflthe hammer-or plunger-is' eou nterbored to :form 8.:18069Si/ for the recep- Lion. of a. barrier. p,- consisting 0f apain-ofwings or jawswwr, prefierably spring-hinged meror plunger. The eounterb'ored end of-the hammer: or. plunger. is provided-with a= fir-in'ga pin s,.whicl1projeetsaslight distzmee between the jaws..or. \v-ings.n-.;Tl1e iouter face of"eacl1'-"-- jaw or wing is. provideda with a smalhlug or' projectionit, WhiClliiS anrangedto projectinto the depressionl and normally-hold the wings or jaws in locked position; *zlt will be understood that-the normal position of the wings'or jaws is closed, as .shownin Fig.4, and it isin this position thattheyare locked to preventany possibility of their'aecidentally assuming an armed-positiom Thelocking engagement is maintained by the pressure of a-spring w, having one end seated in a depression in the a stock and the other end seated in a depression in the rear end of the hammer or plunger. The hammer or plunger is provided witlrone 5 or more longitudinal channels '1), preferably in its outer surface, which form mssages for the escape of the air from in front of the hammer or plunger to the rear thereof, and vice versa, thereby preventing the air-cushioning 9 at either end of said hammer or plunger, which is liable to retard or interfere with the free movement of the hammer or plunger at the instant of shock on liring or on impact.

in their normal position it will be seen that the front end of the hammer or plunger is slightl telescoped in the recess or chamber of the cap-carrying plug, and when a sin-ll armed with my improved fuse is tired from a gun the sheet will force the hannner or lunger 1 35 contact with the cap.

back against the pressure of the spring w, freeing the wings or jaws from their locked position to the action of the centrifugal force induced by the rapid rotation of the shell, 5 which pressure will gradually exert itself to force said hannner or plunger forward a sufficieut distance to allow the boss'or hub l' to enter between the wings or jaws and hold them in their outward position and the hammer or cl plnngerin an armed position, ready to strike the cap the instant the shell encounters an .01)- struction, the action of the hammer being suflj; ficiently sensitive to move forward on ashock produced by a glancing blowor by impact at i5 thc point or nose Y y l 1 By p'voting the wings or jaws to the hamattending the shock received in firing, assaid wings or jaws move backward with said hammer or plunger, andms they'fgive additional t quired weight can be provided without inforeasmg the size of said hammer or plunger.

To insure a gradual return 'movement of ,the hammer or plunger from its setback position, ciiused by-the shock received in firing, l provide a small stud m, which enters one of the grooves o and tends by frictional contact to slightly retard the movement of the hammer or plunger as it moves forward under the pressure of the spring we, whose length is not sufficient to exert pressure enough to force the hammer or plunger into The pin also serves to prevent the hammer or plunger from rotary motion in its chamber, and when all of the :parts are assembled andin noriual positiona compact and safe-fuse is produced, but one in 40' which the parts will not fail to assume an armed position and when such position is assumed will be extremelyscnsitivcto the slightest shock.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what] claim; and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-;--

l. In a shell-fuse; the combination with the stock, a hammer or plunger seated therein, said hammer having a recess in its forward end. and a firing-pinprojecting from said rcccss, and a plug roniovably secured within the stock, said plug having a rcccss'in the inner or rear end and aboss or hub carrying a dotonating cap, of a pair of wings or jaws pivotcd within the recess in the hammer and so arranged that said wings will be acted upon by centrifugal force, and means holding-the free 'ends of the wings in closed position, whereby said hammer is prevented from accidcntally contacting with the cap.

2. In a shell-fuse, the combination with the stock, a hammer or plunger seated therein, said hammer having a recess in its forward end and a firing-pin projecting from said re- 5 cess, and a plug rcmovably secured within the eronplunger they are relieved fromallstrain i'ng provided with lugs arranged to'enter the. depression in the boss, wherebythe free ends, of the wings are normally lockedin th'eir '85 weightto the hammer or plunger it will be .1 a a readily seen that a hammer or plimger of restock, said plug having a recess in its inner or rear end'and a boss or hub carrying a dotonating cap, of a pair of wings or jaws pivoted within the recess in the hammer, means holding the free ends of the wings in closed 3 position, and means normally locking said wings in theirrclosed position. I 3. In a shellsfuse, the combination with the stock, a hammer or plunger seatedtherein, said hammer having a recess in its forward end and a firing-pin projecting from said recess, and a plug remov'ably secured'within the stock, said plug having a recess in its inner or rear end and a boss or hub having a depression in which is fixed adetonating cap, of

a pair ofspring-hinged wings or jawspivoted within therecess in the hammer, Sflld' ]11WSl)e-;"

closed position. l

= 4. ma shell-fuse, the committal. a

suitable stock, a hammer or plunger seated therein, said hammer having a recess in its forward endand'a firing-pin projecting from said recess, and a plug removablysecured within the stock, said plug having a recess in the inner or rear end and a boss or hub carrying a dctonating cap, of a pair of wings or jaws pivoted within the recess in the hammer, 915, means holding the free ends of the jaws in closed position, and means providing for the escape of air at either end of the hammer.

' 5. In a shell-fuse, the combination with a suitable stock, a spring-pressed hammer or ii plungerseatedtherein,saidhammerbeingprovided with air-passages and having a recess in its forward end and a firing-pin projecting from said recess, and a plug rornovably secured within the stock, said plug having a re- 05 cess in the inner or rear end and a boss-0r hub carrying a detonating cap, of a pair of wings or jaws pivoted within the recess in the hammer, means holding-the free ends of the wings in closed position, and a lug projecting 0 into oncof the air-passages, whereby the forward movement of the hammerwill be slightly retarded while under the tension force of the spring.

6. In a shell-fuse, the combination with a 5 stock having a hammer-chamber and a prim-, ingchamber, a hammer seated in the hammerchambenand a cap-carrying plug rcmovably secured in the priming-chamber, of a pair of wings or jaws longitmlinally pivoted on the 2 hammer movable therewith and transversely movable thereof, and means normally holding the wings or jaws in closed position, whereby accidental contact with the cap is prevented.

7. lo a shcll-fuse, thc combination with a 5 stock having a haml.-crchambcr and a priming-eha|nbcr, 'a hannucr seated in the hammerchamber, and a cap-carrying plug removably secured in the priwing-chamber, of a pair of wings or jaws pivoted on the hammer and 3 movable therewith, means normally holding the wings or jaws in closed position, and additional means normally locking said wings or jaws in said closed position.

5 8. In a percussion-fuse, the combination of a casing, a primer, means removably seated in the casing for supporting the primer, and a primer-exploding means, consisting of a plunger carrying a firing-pin therewith, and a plurality of Wings or jaws longitudinally pivbted to the plunger and transversely movable thereof, whereby said plunger is normally retained against forward movement by the wings engaging with the primer-supporting means and released from such engagement when 'said wings are influenced by centrifugal force.

9'. Ida percussion-fusathe combinationof a'casing, a primer, means for supporting the primer in the casing, a plunger carrying a liring-pin therewith, and means longitudinally pivoted on the forward end of the plunger to normally hold said plunger and firing-pin against forward movement, said means movsaid wings being interposed between said plunger and the primer-carrying plug to normally hold the plunger and .lirmg-pmagainst forward movement, said wings movable transversely of the plunger and'actuated by contrifugal force to allow the plunger to move forward and" cause the firing-pin to explode the primer upon impact of the shell.

In testimony whereof I afli x my signature in the presenceoftwo :witness'es. 4

' -Witnesses:

Farm. 0. llENZI, HENRY lllcsrnuui-unl-i.

CllAltInqg p, f 

